From Kristallnacht to Crystal Day:  
A Synagogue in Wroclaw Glows Again 

The historical development of the White Stork Synagogue provides a window into the life of a Jewish community from the time of the establishment of the synagogue in 1829 until today. This highly acclaimed program (presented on close to 40% of the US public broadcasting stations, covering over 40 million households!) particularly bookends the period from November 9, 1938, the night of devastation wreaked on Jewish synagogues throughout Germany known as Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass"), until November 9, 1998 when a 60th year commemoration attended by hundreds of people was held at the White Stork, the only Jewish house of worship in Wroclaw to survive the ravages of World War II. 

First aired in April 2001, the documentary presented by WLIW/Channel 21 emphasizes the re-emergence of Jewish life in today's post-communist Wroclaw, making the synagogue not only an historical monument but also a center and springboard for the continuity of the community. The program is narrated by film and television personality Nina Siemaszko. Among many other roles, Siemaszko acted in the television series West Wing, played Rosa in the movie Jakob the Liar and was a narrator in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Long Road Home.. 

Some comments about From Kristallnacht to Crystal Day: 
A Synagogue in Wroclaw Glows Again: 

"The film recounts [the history of former Breslau/current Wroclaw] briefly, but it focuses more on the synagogue's extensive physical and communal rehabilitation. A Polish architect involved in the restoration notes that it is hard to believe that this was a building in use as recently as the 1960's. Yet he speaks with pride about being part of the Polish generation that is doing this kind of work. The film culminates in a grand public celebration of its restoration in and around its 700-seat sanctuary on November 9, 1998 -- exactly 60 years after Kristallnacht...What is truly moving are the scenes of today's Jewish children. Tots dance to Israeli music, and one attractive 16-year old speaks unselfconsciously of her aspirations as a Jew. The fact that the Jewish educational system is expanding dramatically and is apparently teeming with young people is evidence that the Jews of Wroclaw may finally have a future." 
Ralph Seliger, The Forward 

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